


Read his Eyes

by fictocriticism



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-26
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 18:23:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/469282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictocriticism/pseuds/fictocriticism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris runs into Grant on holiday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Read his Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> For Alana.

Chris sipped his Mai Tai and wondered how the normal people lived their lives. He didn’t mean it in a negative way — he loved the perks of celebrity, and the advantages of being a role model, and all that. But sometimes, when his sunglasses were firmly on his face and his hat was obscuring his hair, a subtle security detail behind him, he wondered what it would be like to holiday in the open with no concern for being recognised. 

  
He watched the couple next to him smile fondly at each other, their arms entwined as they appeared oblivious to the outside world. One girl was so sunburnt she looked almost radioactive, whereas her partner was a deep, natural looking tan colour. He watched as the darker girl smeared sunscreen on the other’s face, ignoring her complaints at the sensation.  
  
It was enough to remind Chris that he needed more sunscreen too. Even a long sleeved shirt wouldn’t be enough to keep him from sunburn. He set down his drink and leaned forward to his bag, only to be stopped by a voice.   
  
“Fancy seeing you here.”  
  
Chris looked up, the person silhouetted by the sun. But he recognised that figure, that voice. It wasn’t one he’d heard in person in quite a while, but time hadn’t changed it.   
  
“Mr Gustin,” he murmured. “Fancy indeed. What are you doing here?”   
  
“You’re not the only one on holiday,” Grant said with a smile. “Can I?” he asked, pointing at Chris’ neighbouring lounge. Chris nodded and tracked the way Grant’s body gracefully folded down until he was fully reclined.   
  
“Beautiful,” he said, and his voice was full of wonder. Chris looked back out to the view, drinking in the glistening water and sand, knowing that there weren’t many views in the world like this one. He sighed in agreement.   
  
“How long are you here for?” he asked, leaning forward again to find the sunscreen bottle he knew was floating around in his bag somewhere.   
  
Grant stretched then, the movement catching Chris’ eye and he looked over just in time to see the sliver of skin revealed when Grant’s arms were over his head. He snapped his gaze away, started scrambling a little more frantically in his bag, barely hearing Grant’s answer.   
  
“Looking for sunscreen?” Grant said, holding a bottle up. “You look like you’ll burn in a minute out here.” He smiled, gently enough for Chris to quirk his lips in response.   
  
“Yeah, alright,” he said laughingly, “I’m aware of my albino-like state. No need to rub it in.”   
  
Grant chuckled then, and the sound abruptly made Chris realise just how long it had been since he had seen the man. “Hey, if you’re burning, so am I!” Grant responded lightly, gesturing at his own quite fair complexion. Then, he shrugged his shirt off, revealing even more skin. Chris couldn’t quite stop his eyes from roaming briefly before determinedly fixing his stare forward to the ocean once more.   
  
He heard Grant open the bottle and the telltale slap of skin on skin that indicated he was currently _rubbing himself_  with lotion. Chris’ breathed in sharply through his nose and worked on holding his neck steady. His forced casualness was ruined when Grant called his name.   
  
“Do you think you could help me out?” he asked, a pleading look on his face that Chris swore he shouldn’t fall for. He looked over carefully, but even prior awareness to his near nudity didn’t help when confronted with Grant’s lean torso, his lightly freckled skin over his shoulders. “I can’t reach my back,” he said with a pout.    
  
Chris smiled, a little tightly, and took the proffered bottle. It wasn’t Grant’s fault that his presence seemed to remind Chris of how much he had enjoyed spending time together in their brief forays on set. Grant hadn’t returned for season 4 so far, but they’d tried to keep in touch as much as possible in their respective busy worlds. There was still the possibility of a Sebastian appearance later in the season, but Grant had been looking for other work as much as possible, making it harder to find time to see each other. And the Glee scheduling was as tight as ever. Phone calls were great, although few and far between. Grant sent Chris occasional text messages, with cute photos and silly observations from his day, and Chris had learnt not to let himself read them in public after Lea teased him for two hours about his “soft glow of love”. But text messages were open to interpretation, and Chris wasn’t confident in his reading of Grant’s intentions.   
  
After all that, it just took a random coincidence on a beach for the two of them to be in the same place for the first time in months. Maybe it was time for Chris to find out whether he was reading too much into things. Taking a deep breath, he shrugged his own shirt off, wincing slightly at the immediate heat on his skin from the summer sun, and stood up.   
  
“If I do yours, you can do mine,” he said, and caught Grant’s eye briefly before dropping onto the end of his lounge. “Turn around,” he directed and squeezed an amount of sunscreen into his hand. Grant silently did as he was told.   
  
The expanse of skin below his hands was mesmerising. Chris tried to keep his hands moving briskly, forcing himself into swift swipes rather than allowing himself to carefully rub the lotion into his skin. He could feel Grant’s breath through his hands, deep and steady, and Chris tried to use it to ground himself, breathing in time. Daringly, he let his hands dip just below the waistband of Grant’s boardshorts, murmuring something about avoiding uneven lines. He felt Grant’s muscles twitch minutely as his fingers smoothed along the skin there, and he shut his eyes briefly in response. He had to keep it together.   
  
When he couldn’t prolong it any longer, he reluctantly pulled his hands back. “Done,” he said brightly, and then spun around quickly before he could meet Grant’s eyes again.   
  
“Your turn then,” Grant said, his voice a little low, enough to send a shot of heat through Chris’ stomach. He held himself still, his body preempting Grant’s touch so much that he was nearly thrumming with anticipation. Regardless, he jumped when Grant’s hand landed on his back, the cool of the sunscreen a stark contrast to his warm hands. He giggled nervously at himself, and tried to think of anything but the feel of Grant’s big hands cupping his shoulders carefully while working in the sunscreen and the way his breath felt on the back of his neck.   
  
“Your skin is lovely,” Grant murmured close to his ear, sending a slight and embarrassing shiver down Chris’ spine. He couldn’t stop the grin spreading on his face and he ducked his head a little, hoping Grant couldn’t see the tips of his ears blushing red.   
  
“Thank you?” he said uncertainly.   
  
“I mean it,” Grant said, and then his hands were stroking down Chris’ sides, running up and down in firm, slow motions. “It’s gorgeous.”  
  
Chris’ breath caught in his throat, and he couldn’t stop the way his chest expanded even knowing Grant could feel the movement where he was touching him. He wanted to turn around, wanted to read the intention in Grant’s eyes, try and work him out beyond just words, but he didn’t want to lose this moment before it even began.   
  
“Chris,” Grant whispered, his hands creeping round closer to the front of his chest, sliding into the dip of his hips on either side. Chris was reacting to the touch now, just enough to require a slight shift of his legs, which somehow pressed him further back into Grant’s arms, his back hitting against Grant’s knee. It was as if it was a breaking point for Grant then, who leant forward with clear intent, wrapped his arms around Chris’ body, all warm limbs and bare flesh. It wasn’t a friendly touch, couldn’t be misinterpreted. Chris swore he could feel his blood pumping faster through his body.   
  
“God, it’s so good to see you,” Grant said throatily, and the sound of his voice like this, warm and genuine, had Chris sighing.   
  
“You too,” he said, “ _god_ , you too.”  
  
“Come back to my room? You know, to talk?” Grant sounded almost nervous now, but Chris surprised himself, was already spinning on the lounge, facing him and holding his gaze.   
  
“Yes please,” he said. “I’d love to.”  
  
And he leaned in and brushed his lips across Grant’s, clearly meeting Grant’s invitation and making his own move obvious. Grant shuddered lightly in response, and Chris felt his stomach settle into a low, burning heat. When he pulled back, Grant was looking at him so openly, so tenderly, that Chris wondered how he hadn’t realised this before. His text messages might be ambiguous, but his eyes held his intention clearly.   
  
“When did you say you have to leave?” Chris asked, pulling Grant to his feet and gathering their things. He hoped it wasn’t too soon. He wanted time to slow, let them have these moments in the sun, away from their worlds.   
  
Grant smiled widely and clasped Chris’ hand in his.   
  
“Not until I’ve learnt everything about you,” he said. “However long that takes.”  
  
Chris laughed. “Well, get settled then,” he said. “This will take a while.”


End file.
